1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of forming a character string image in a predetermined image area based on a plurality of character images during a screen display process or a print display process carried out by an electronic apparatus or the like.
2. Prior Art
A character image in a dot matrix font or an outline font used in a personal computer, a printer or the like has blank images (blank portions) arranged on opposite sides of an image of an actual character portion (referred to as "the actual character image" throughout the specification).
When an image of a character string is formed, blank images are provided in dependence on the character width of each actual character image by taking the shape of each character into account, so as to prevent a string or sequence of characters from looking irregular in juxtaposition. It should be noted that the actual character image includes one which still has small amounts of blank images on opposite sides of a character image thereof.
FIG. 37A shows a character string image of "123" formed in an image area R1 for three characters. As shown in the figure, the character string image is formed by horizontally arranging three character images of "1", "2" and "3" in the image area R1 in a manner immediately adjacent to each other without forming any gap therebetween, and each character image has blank images K1, K2 and K3 provided on opposite sides of the actual character image thereof.
When the character string image is created in an area larger than an image area for the number of characters thereof, spaces (blanks) are inserted between "1" and "2" and between "2" and "3". On the other hand, when a character string image is formed in an image area for a smaller number of characters than the number of characters of the character string, for instance, when the character string image of "123" is formed in an image area R2 for two characters or an image area R3 for one character, as shown in FIGS. 37B and 37C, each character image of the character string image "123" is reduced in a horizontal dimension to two-thirds of the original image or one-third of the same to form a character string image in the image area R2 or R3.
As described above, when an image of a character string is formed in an image area provided for a smaller number of characters than the number of characters of the character string, each character image is reduced in size as a whole. That is, each character image including the blank images is reduced to reduce the width of each actual character image, so that the appearance of the character string image thus formed is degraded in appearance.
Particularly, as shown in FIG. 37C, when the character string image "123" comprised of three characters is formed in the image area R3 for one character, each actual character image thereof is made even smaller in width to make the character string image shabby as a whole, and hence even more degraded in appearance.